The present invention relates to a machine and process for packing a shipping box such as a carton with containers such as bottles and cans which have gone through the steps of filling, capping, labeling, etc. More in particular, the present invention relates to a box packing machine and process which will allow a smooth packing operation without occurrence of the interference between separators and containers.
In the case of loading containers such as bottles and cans which have gone through the steps of filling, capping, labeling, etc. into a shipping box, it has been well known to use separators to prevent the containers from rubbing each other and from becoming disorderly during shipment. There are basically two kinds of separators; that is, a plate type separator and a lattice type separator which is formed by assembling several plate type separators. Such separators are usually made of a relatively soft material such as paper. Depending on the nature and the shape of containers, selection between the two kinds of separators is made.
In a sense, plate type separators are preferable because they do not occupy much space in a shipping box. For example, if the containers are made of an elastic material such as plastic and synthetic resin, like shampoo containers, plate type separators are almost exclusively used. This is because, in such a case, contact between the containers is not a big problem, but the important point is to prevent the containers stored in a shipping box from becoming disorderly during shipment. However, difficulty resides in how to insert plate type separators and containers in a box most efficiently.
Conventionally, plate type separators were inserted after placing a predetermined number of containers in a box. The containers in this case must be properly spaced apart. Otherwise, the separators would interfere with the containers, which would result in the breakage of separators and box, or possibly containers themselves. Therefore, the conventional techniques employing plate type separators are disadvantageous and not suitable for practical use because of its extremely low operation efficiency.